He launched the Rashtriya Gramin Swaraj
Abhiyan, at a public meeting, and addressed Panchayati Raj representatives across the country, from Mandla.
A parallel demand for a state of Gondwana from the same Mahakoshal region of Madhya Pradesh has arisen owing to the fact that vast areas of Mahakoshal were ruled by Gond kings and
even today, Mandla, Chinndwara, Dindori,
Seoni and Balaghat have a predominantly Gond tribal population.